Novel ethero atoms containing polyesters based on 2,6‐naphthalendicarboxylic acid: A comparative study with poly(butylene naphthalate)

Poly(butylene naphthalate) (PBN), poly(diethylene naphthalate) (PDEN), and poly(thiodiethylene naphthalate) (PTDEN) were synthesized and characterized in terms of chemical structure and molecular weight. The polyesters were examined by TGA, DSC, and DMTA. All the polymers showed a good thermal stability, even though depending on chemical structure. At room temperature they appeared as semicrystalline materials; the effect of the introduction along the PBN polymer chain of ether oxygen atoms or sulfur ones was a lowering in the T_g value, a decrement of T_m, and a decrease of the crystallization rate. Changing in chemical structure also affects the main α absorption associated with the glass transition which moves to lower temperature and whose energetic requirements decrease. The results were explained as due to the presence of highly flexible C? S? C or C? O? C bonds in the polymeric chain. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1694–1703, 2007     

On the Effect of the Aglycon Structure of Three Aryl β-D-Galactosides on the Yield and the Regioselectivity of the Transglycolytic Synthesis of N-Acetyllactosamine

ABSTRACT

We examined the effect as donors of three aryl β-D-galactosides (i.e. p-nitrophenyl β-D-galactopyranoside, o-nitrophenyl β-D-galactopyranoside and phenyl β-D-galacto-pyranoside) on the regioselectivity and the yield of the synthesis of N-acetyllactosamine obtained from the transglycosylation reaction catalyzed by a crude preparation of β-D-galactosidase from Bacillus circulans at 25 °C, 37 °C and 55 °C, respectively. Using p-nitrophenyl β-D-galactopyranoside the reaction results were fully regiospecific at all the temperatures considered: the maximum molar yield (74%) was obtained at an incubation temperature of 55 °C. Using o-nitrophenyl β-D-galactopyranoside as the donor the reaction was still highly regioselective and the maximum molar yield (50%) was achieved at an incubation temperature also of 55 °C. Using phenyl β-D-galactopyranoside transglycolytic products appear only at an incubation temperature of 55 °C but at very low molar yield (about 14%) and lower regioselectivity.     

Characteristic Features of Magnetization Reversal of Exchange Coupled Tb–Co/FeNi Film Structures in a Temperature Range Including the Compensation Point of the Ferrimagnetic Layer

Physics of the Solid State - The results of the study of the magnetic properties of exchange coupled Tb–Co/FeNi film structures obtained by magnetron sputtering in a wide range of...     

Luminescent ‘On-Off’ CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dot Chemodosimeter for Hydroxide Based on Photoinduced Electron Transfer from a Carboxylate Moiety

A CdSe-ZnS quantum dot (QD) has been surface functionalised by a place exchange reaction with p-mercaptomethyl benzoate synthesized by a three-step procedure. The resulting lumophore-spacer-receptor QD-conjugate was characterized by IR, UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopy. The emission profile of the QD reveals a narrow emission peak centred at 542 nm. Addition of hydroxide to the solution containing the QD-conjugate results in quenching of the original fluorescence, which is attributed to a photoinduced electron transfer reaction from the electron-rich benzoate moiety to the QD valence band. This is the first reported example of fluorescent quenching of a CdSe-ZnS QD luminescence by an aryl carboxylate moiety.     

Interactions of xanthines with activated carbon: II. The adsorption equilibrium

In the present work, we have studied the adsorption of xanthine derivatives by activated carbon sorbents in aqueous solutions. The study comprised both kinetic, equilibrium and thermodynamic aspects. The kinetic results were reported in a previous paper; the equilibrium-related results are discussed here. The two types of carbon used exhibit some differences but the equilibrium isotherms obtained are all of the H-3 type in the classification of Giles. This suggests a high affinity of the sorbents for the sorbates. We also found that the overall adsorption process comprises more than one individual adsorption-desorption process of which one leads to the formation of a “monolayer” and the other to the “precipitation” of the sorbate on the sorbent surface (multilayer adsorption); the amount of sorbate adsorbed in monolayer form was seemingly greater in C-A14.     

A comparative study of the luminescence characteristics of polymineral fine grains and coarse-grained K- and Na-rich feldspars

The IRSL and post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) signal characteristics of polymineral fine grains are investigated and compared with those of K- and Na-rich feldspar extracts. TL signal loss after IR and pIRIR stimulations occurs mainly at around 320 °C for polymineral and Na-feldspar samples and around 410 °C for K-feldspar samples, when a preheat temperature of 250 °C for 60 s is used. After preheating to a higher temperature (320 °C for 60 s) all samples show a TL reduction around 410 °C in the blue detection window. Pulse annealing experiments for IRSL and pIRIR signals for preheats between 320 °C and 500 °C indicate that the signal stabilities are similar among the different feldspar types, when a higher preheat temperature (>320 °C) is used. Thermal activation energies for IRSL and pIRIR signals are largest in K-feldspar and smallest in polymineral fine grains, in both blue and UV detection windows for both fast time-resolved (TR) and continuous wave (CW) signals. These results suggest that IRSL and pIRIR signals in polymineral fine grains originate mainly from Na-feldspar grains; these signals are less thermally stable than those from K-feldspar, but a more stable signal (presumably from K-feldspar grains) can be obtained using a higher preheat temperature.     

The design of TOPK inhibitors using structure-based pharmacophore modeling and molecular docking based on an MD-refined homology model

Molecular Diversity - The TOPK enzyme (also known as PBK) is a serine-threonine protein kinase that is rarely detected in normal tissues yet is found to be overexpressed and activated in a variety...     

The Direction of Time: From the Global Arrow to the Local Arrow

In this paper we discuss the traditional approaches to the problem of the arrow of time. On the basis of this discussion we adopt a global and nonentropic approach, according to which the arrow of time has a global origin and is an intrinsic, geometrical feature of space-time. Finally, we show how the global arrow is translated into local terms as a local time-asymmetric flux of energy.     

Optimisation of sensor positions in random linear arrays based on statistical relations between geometry and performance

Due to the widespread use of acoustic arrays, optimisation techniques for array design, focused on improving array performance, have been widely published. This paper exploits the statistical relation between different measures of sidelobe levels and the spacing of elements in random linear arrays made up of a small number of sensors. This paper defines the methodology to obtain maximum probability functions, associating array geometry and performance. These maximum probability functions allow a pre-selection of those array geometries that are more likely to be associated to specified sidelobe level values. This pre-selection results in a significantly reduced computational burden.